McLean Community Center issues apology for Fourth of July fireworks cancellation

This weekend, McLean got its first Fourth of July fireworks since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 — only no one was around to see them.

The McLean Community Center held its annual Independence Day Celebration at Langley High School on Saturday (July 2) to accommodate a staffing shortage at its fireworks vendor, an issue that affected several other Fourth of July events in the area as well.

However, instead of watching pyrotechnics light up the night sky, attendees wound up scrambling for cover amid a downpour that ultimately led to a cancellation, MCC said today (Wednesday).

“Though we had held off having the show in hopes of the forecasts being inaccurate, it became clear that the show now had to be canceled,” the community center said in its message. “In the flurry to keep people and property safe, we neglected to let you, our beloved patrons, know what had happened on our website and social media. We regret it and apologize for the oversight.”

An update regarding last Saturday's Independence Day Celebration Fireworks: pic.twitter.com/lGm7DMAgKm

— McLean Community Center (@mcleanvacenter) July 6, 2022

Adding to the confusion was the fact that the fireworks were unleashed after all once the rain had dissipated.

MCC says the vendor had to shoot off the fireworks, since they had already been set up and couldn’t be transported.

“This was not a show, this was a necessary safety measure to ensure there were no fireworks remaining on the field,” MCC said. “This detonation was carried out in coordination with the safety officials and pyrotechnicians on-site.”

The organization apologized for the lack of communication with the community, stating that it has “put safeguards in effect” to prevent similar issues in the future.

Though rain had been in the forecast for Saturday night, the community center was unable to schedule a possible rain date due to the vendor’s staffing shortage, MCC Executive Director Daniel Singh said in a statement to FFXnow.

Some parts of the D.C. area saw as much as six to eight inches of rain that night. McLean was among the locations put under flash flood warnings, though the National Weather Service’s unofficial rainfall totals don’t include a report for Fairfax County.